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Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte told WSCR-AM that he will probably skip training camp if he does not get a long-term contract from the team.

The Bears placed a franchise tag on Forte, meaning he's entitled to a one-year deal for $7.7 million.

His announcement to the Chicago radio station came hours after he told the NFL Network that he was not sure about his status for training camp, but that he would not sit out the season.

Forte does not want to sign his franchise tag but is “optimistic“ since the two sides have continued to talk.

“You can’t let it get too personal,” he said. “I mean, it’s always personal when you are dealing with the business side of the league because they are talking about you as a person.

“When you are an athlete and you’ve done everything that you’ve been asked to do and you’ve excelled out there on the field, and then you go out in the media and you see there is stuff written about you how they are devaluing you as a player at your position and saying that you are not as good as what you think you are or what the stats say — I mean, the stats can’t lie. If you have good stats and you are playing good, obviously you are a good player. So it gets personal when you are devalued like that.“

The Bears have not shown urgency to offer him a multi-year deal and even signed for Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush.